Some Excellent Small Museums

I readily admit that I am not a museum person. However, it hasn’t stopped me from visiting the world’s greatest museums, as I have ventured around the planet. In the process I have also run across some of the world’s best small museums, hidden gems, often found in locations that are completely unexpected.

In this series, I will create a list of these wonderful venues and I highly encourage readers to check them out.

Two (2) in Asia:

1. Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel — The most important artifacts in this museum are the Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s in Qumran, southwest of Jerusalem.

Dead Sea Scrolls Enclosure at the Israel Museum

Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum

Another extremely interesting exhibit is a scale model of the city of Jerusalem before the temple’s destruction by the Romans in about 66 AD.

Model of Jerusalem

Model of Jerusalem

2. Shaanxi Museum, Xi’an, China — Besides Art and artifacts from the region, this museum contains pristine items from the tomb of Emperor Qin, who constructed the Terra Cotta Warriors to protect him in the afterlife. For instance, most of the warriors were significantly damage due to their burial for 2,000 years. However, a few items are still in remarkable condition and are protected within the museum.

Terra Cotta Archer

Terra Cotta Archer

The museum is the pride of this province which once housed the capital of the nation.

Shaanxi Museum

Shaanxi Museum

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